Entertainment Blogs

An online journal about visual art, the urban landscape and design. Mary Louise Schumacher, the Journal Sentinel's art and architecture critic, leads the discussion and a community of writers contribute to the dialogue.

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There's some really rad artwork up at Whole Foods Market in the Eastside, that's really inspirational and very imaginative. (looks graffiti and pop surrealist inspired). maybe people need to start venturing outside of the Third Ward district to find some good and unique talent,

It's a dangerous business to judge the value of the artworks shown here without seeing them in person. Having seen them, I would have to respectfully disagree. I'd be curious to hear your reactions after you've attended some of these shows.

I would disagree that this event gets more coverage than other art events. Last Sunday the Sunday Cue featured two reviews of major exhibits at MAM. However, I do feel an obligation to cover Gallery Night for a number of reasons. It typically has a larger, general audience and the event has scores of events and can be a lot to navigate. In this case, it was also an opportunity for me to highlight some exceptional shows that I've not had a chance to write about yet.

Mary Louise does a great job considering that she also has to cover Architecture.....and given that all art is subjective, we, in Milwaukee, are very fortunate to have a person who spends as much time as she doesto keep us posted on so many topics.

I urge you to make a stop at IndependenceFirst (540 S. 1st St. in MKE - few block south of 3rd Ward) for its FIRST juried art exhibition - this Fri night 5-9pm featuring the works of Gregory Martens. “Touring Myeloma,” a provacative series of screen prints on paper, explores the artist’s journey from diagnosis, through treatment, survival and remission in his personal experience with bone marrow cancer. Martens describes the series of 13 prints as “a story of one man trying to hold on to his identity through adversity.”

Martens, a printmaker, book artist and ceramic sculptor, was diagnosed with aggressive bone marrow cancer in 2005, received a BFA in printmaking from UW-Milwaukee in 2009 and is a regular exhibitor of his work, having pieces collected across North and South America. The artist will be present to answer questions. Full info:

A must see exhibit is at Soups On, 221 N. Water St, for the Madonna & Child: Interpreted, an exhibition that represents a wide visual and emotional spectrum of artistic representation and translation of this iconic subject.Well worth the stop as you begin your art walk. The chili is pretty good, too!!

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Keep up with the art scene and trends in urban design with art and architecture critic Mary Louise Schumacher. Every week, you'll get the latest reviews, musings on architecture and her picks for what to do on the weekends.